I did something I thought I would never do : I went to Kraken-signed up-verified my new IP address-entered my 2FA-bought some $XTZ-looked up for a web extension to buy through the Tezos blockchain-downloaded the temple wallet-recorded my temple mnemonic somewhere safe and non-digital-copied my temple address-created a new withdrawal address on Kraken-clicked on the confirmation email-issued a deposit on my Temple wallet-confirmed through 2FA… In one word (and only one hour because I am such an advanced user) I opened myself a Tezos wallet to buy NFTs on the Tezos blockchain.
So far, I had never jumped into Tezos NFTs. What happened in the mean time? Rorschach collage!
Who the f*** is Rorschach?
WTF is Rorschach? Hermann Rorschach is a Swiss psychanalyst of the early 20th century that invented the famous ‘Rorschach test’. Wikipedia explains that ‘the Rorschach test is a projective psychological test in which subjects’ perceptions of inkblots are recorded and then analyzed using psychological interpretation’. In practice, a set of monochrome inkblots (most of the time symmetric) of ambiguous design are shown to the patient. The psychanalyst asks the patient what he sees. This question triggers stimuli in the brain so that the patient is able to guess a butterfly, an insect or two bodies interacting. This is a considered now as a rather old and dated method. But when he first tested this method, Rorschach discovered that it enabled him to detect patients with mental disorders.
Rorschach collage: the NFT collection
Rorschach collage is a series of 1921 generative art NFTs. They are made up of two artworks on paper. The first one is the Rorschach inkblot as it would be shown by a psychanalyst. And the second one (that one can see by clicking on the NFT) is designed as a clear colored interpretation that a subject could have on the previous inkblot. This clear image is a collage of multiple items linked to psychiatry or psychology (Freud, a straightjacket, Rorschach, brain etc). One NFT has 2 images: the inkblot ambiguous monochrome and the hidden colored surrealist image. Below the image are Japanese letters (Katakana alphabet) mentioning 3 addictions (bitcoin, Internet, cryptocurrencies).
The artists
This project involved 2 rising collage artists and pals from the Art from future artists collective (https://artfromfuture.xyz/) : @Popeyepuzzle and @alohaleila. The idea came from Popeye, a professional of the medical sector, specialized in psychiatry. As he was walking in a park decorated with Rorschach inkblots, he assumed those weird shapes could be a substrate for art.
He quickly sought the support of Leila, aka the “queen of symmetry”, known for her collage works and her taste for symmetric figures. While Leila started as a physical artist, she moved to digital in 2020 and got interested with NFTs. She shares with Popeye a passion for Surrealism. She loves symmetric artworks, as they question us on concepts such as chaos, harmony or imbalance. On this project, Leila curated items while Popeye organized them in inkblot shapes.
Why I love the project Rorschach Collage
The project is cryptoart in all its meanings: first, it’s art on a blockchain substrate (the Tezos protocol). Second, it’s modern digital art, inspired in its shapes, colors and items by pop culture, Internet and Bitcoin, as the Katakana words suggest. Third, part of the artwork is hidden (that translates in greek into kruptein, the root for crypto-). Fourth, this project is linked to intimacy, the fight against transparency, potentially our fundamental right to keep our most intimate thoughts or emotions for ourselves. In a way, there is a certain violence in the reveal of the second image if we have in mind this is the interpretation of the inkblot by the artist: we enter the brains of the artist.
The psychanalyst can either be the positive helper of a dysfunctional mind or the perverse observer of our most intimate wishes. I personally see the shrink as an allegory of the State, which can be the Welfare State helping Poors and Sick people get back on track or the Evil State feverishly trying to control all citizens’ minds.
I successfully minted NFTs #59, #60 and #64 of this collection. Obviously, in full objectivity, I think those ones are the best of the collection!! On Jan 11th, 2023, you can still mint some of the collages. 1921 have been generated (reference to the year the Rorschach test was invented) but 100 unminted ones are burned every day until only minted tokens remain. Hurry up and mint yours here: https://www.fxhash.xyz/generative/slug/rorschach-collage
And keep an eye on those 2 great artists: https://twitter.com/PopeyePuzzle and https://twitter.com/alohaleila_
